Visa Waiver

[Blueboy 123]

I was arrested last week and released no charge and no further action to be taken. I have a family holiday booked in Florida in the next 6 weeks. Do i need to make an appointment at the US embassy to apply for a visa or can i go on the visa waiver scheme?

[sddsddean]

Just go on the visa waiver.

[dzug]

Officially it depends what you were arrested for.

In practise you can use the visa waiver scheme.

You'd be pushing it to get a visa in 6 weeks anyway - there's a month's wait for appointments

[Buenchico]

Officially (i.e. according to the US embassy website) you're ineligible to use the Visa Waiver Program. However:

1) the form you complete on the plane doesn't ask about arrests. It only asks about convictions for crimes of 'moral turpitude'. You can honestly answer 'No' to the relevant question ;

2) the US immigration service have no direct access to UK criminal records (or to records of arrests), so they won't know about your brush with the law (unless, possibly, you were arrested on suspicion of plotting a terrorist offence against the USA!) ;

3) you'd never get a visa in time anyway. According to recent posts you wouldn't even be able to book an interview until around the end of June.

As Sddsddean suggests, just use the visa waiver scheme.

Chris

[Dee Sa]

it wil take longer than 6 weeks to get an appt, you have not been charged with anything, just tick the waiver box and stop worrying.
There are plenty of people with minor convictions that tick the waiver box and go through okay, especially as you are travelling as a family. Have a great time.

[dzug]

1) the form you complete on the plane doesn't ask about arrests. It only asks about convictions for crimes of 'moral turpitude'. You can honestly answer 'No' to the relevant question ;


Sorry Chris it DOES ask about arrests and convictions for moral turpitude.

A replica can be found in the link here:
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/usa-florida-imigratio n-forms.php